Researched by: Rachel John, Nirmal Bhansali, Aarthi Ramnath & Anannya Parekh
Delimitation dharma: A YouTube explainer
In 2026, there will be a significant readjustment of Lok Sabha seats—granting North Indian states a decisive majority. The reason: the North has far more citizens than the South. So should the South be “punished” for population control—or is it the inevitable price of the one person one vote rule? We look at that very prickly question in our latest video explainer.
Check it out below. Stay tuned for more such explainers on the big fat election coming soon, and be sure to hit the notification button.
War on Gaza: All eyes on Rafah
The world is bracing for a catastrophic assault on the last refuge for the residents of Gaza—widely predicted to be a bloodbath.
Peace plan, blah, blah: In the interim, the US and its Middle East allies are scrambling to frame “a detailed, comprehensive plan for long-term peace”—including “a firm timeline for the establishment of a Palestinian state.” Of course, there is zero sign of Israel being remotely interested in any such plan. No one thinks Washington is serious—since “the Biden administration has shown little inclination to stand up to Israel, instead ‘just wringing their hands and saying, ‘We wish you would allow more aid and kill fewer civilians.’”
But, but, but: There is increased evidence that Joe Biden is losing patience with Israel—specifically Benjamin Netanyahu. Their relationship is apparently at a “boiling point.” And the State department is investigating Israel’s attack on a refugee camp—to see if a US-supplied 2000 pound bomb was used to attack civilians. So that’s new.
Meanwhile, in Egypt: Authorities are building an “8-square-mile walled enclosure” in the Sinai Desert—to accommodate a flood of refugees. An exodus of desperate Palestinians over the border will be inevitable if Israel attacks Rafah. But Cairo is taking extreme measures to ensure the Palestinians are penned in. The camp is “surrounded by concrete walls and far from any Egyptian settlements.” This quote from an analyst sums up the appalling plight of the Gazans: “Even if the Israelis push a million and a half people to spill over the border, Egypt can throw the ball back into Israel’s lap by simply limiting the movement of Palestinians further in.” (Wall Street Journal)
Meanwhile, over at Eurovision: Over 2,000 musicians from Finland, Iceland, and Sweden called for Israel's exclusion from the music contest this year—to protest human rights violations in Gaza. In response, UK celebrities like Gene Simmons, Helen Mirren and over 400 others have signed an open letter opposing the boycott:
“We believe that unifying events such as singing competitions are crucial to help bridge our cultural divides and unite people of all backgrounds through their shared love of music. Those who are calling for Israel’s exclusion are subverting the spirit of the Contest and turning it from a celebration of unity into a tool of politics.”
Eurovision officials say the contest should be kept out of politics. Reminder: The contest kicked out Russia after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. (The Guardian)
Recession cometh: Bad news for UK and Japan
When an economy contracts for two consecutive quarters it is considered to be in recession. Britain’s GDP shrank by 0.1% between July and September, followed by a 0.3% decline in the final quarter, affecting all three major sectors — services, manufacturing, and construction. This isn’t good news for Rishi Sunak as he heads into an election.
Meanwhile, Japan also slipped into recession—which is surprising unlike the UK. It also lost its spot as the third largest economy in the world to Germany. BBC News has more on the UK. These are also harbingers of a shifting global economy. India is projected to overtake Japan in 2026 and Germany the following year. The Guardian reports on Japan.
Russia’s got a secret weapon
Washington is in a tizz over reports of a “space-based nuclear weapon” that can take out satellites:
Such a satellite-killing weapon, if deployed, could destroy civilian communications, surveillance from space and military command-and control operations by the United States and its allies. At the moment, the United States does not have the ability to counter such a weapon and defend its satellites.
The weapon is still in development and has not yet been deployed—and is therefore not considered an immediate threat. FYI: If the US claims are true, then Russia has violated the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in space. The Guardian spoke to experts who say this is not a big deal. (New York Times)
Meanwhile, in Ukraine: Reports from the battlefront indicate that Ukrainian soldiers are losing ground to the Russians. They have been forced to abandon the town of Avdiivka—which reflects Kyiv’s struggle to hold on despite exhausted and severely depleted troops. Why this matters: “In a war of mostly small territorial gains, the capture of Avdiivka would be the Russians’ most significant battlefield achievement since taking Bakhmut last May.” (New York Times)
OpenAI is readying the next Google
According to The Information, the company is working on a search engine to rival Google. It could be a new feature for ChatGPT—or a potentially separate app altogether. Already, fewer people are using Google Search—likely because it is cluttered with ads and SEO-optimised links. And AI has shown that it is superior in retrieving information than traditional search engines. In the big picture:
Altman is Google’s nightmare that it can’t wake up from. Over 100 million people use ChatGPT every week, and that already seems to be reducing the number of people relying on Google Search. Now, OpenAI is coming directly for the crown, in an attempt to dethrone the most dominant internet service of all time.
Gizmodo has more on The Information’s exclusive—which is paywalled.
SpaceX to make lunar history
A Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched a lunar lander—which may become the first private spacecraft to make it to the Moon’s surface. It will also be the first time the US has returned to the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Apart from the usual scientific instruments, Odysseus is also carrying an art project from Jeff Koons—“comprised of 125 miniature Moon sculptures within a transparent cube.” TBH, it doesn’t look like much—as you can see below. (Quartz)
Indonesia gets a new president
Early results from the world's largest single-day election indicate that defence minister Prabowo Subianto is likely to become president. While the final tally won’t be out for a month, the usually reliable "quick counts" give the win to Prabowo—who is backed by outgoing president Joko Widodo.
Why this matters: Indonesia is an important country for both China and the US—who have jostled for Jakarta’s allegiance. Joko avoided aligning Indonesia with either—but Prabowo has sharper edges. After his election victory, Prabowo declared that “other powers are always jealous of a country as rich as ours.” BBC News has more on the elections while Associated Press offers a profile of Prabowo.
In trouble: Democracy around the world
The Economist Intelligence Unit puts out the Democracy Index each year. The results are fairly bleak this year. Of the 70 countries set to go to polls this year, only 43 are expected to be entirely free and fair. A dismal data point: “[L]ess than 8% of the world’s population live in full democracies, and that 39.4% are under authoritarian rule—up from 36.9% in 2022.” India ranked #41—an improvement from from #46 in 2022 but it is still described as a “flawed democracy.” Norway is rated the “most democratic” country in the world—while Afghanistan came in last. (The Economist, paywall)
Speaking of democracy in danger: In a shocking move, Meta announced that it will be cutting funding for fact-checking on WhatsApp—which it had introduced in 2020. Reminder: 2024 will witness a record number of elections and WhatsApp is key to election campaigning in countries like India and parts of Africa. (The Hindu)
Say hello to ‘meaty rice’
Researchers in South Korea have developed a hybrid rice—made with beef and cow fat cells. Here’s how they did it:
Scientists made the experimental food by covering traditional rice grains in fish gelatin and seeding them with skeletal muscle and fat stem cells which were then grown in the laboratory. After culturing the muscle, fat and gelatin-smothered rice for nine to 11 days, the grains contained meat and fat throughout, resulting in an end product the researchers believe could become a nutritious and flavourful food.
As to why they did it, the rice offers a more affordable source of nutrition—as it contains 8% more protein and 7% more fat. So you could get“a new complete meal”—rather than consuming just carbs. That doesn’t sound like much but the amounts can be increased in the future. The rice doesn’t taste like beef, but has “a pleasant and novel flavour experience.” Also: it’s seriously pink. (The Guardian)
Two things to see
One: In 2009, Sarfaraz Khan was a precocious 12-year-old destined for great things—breaking records in school tournaments. But it took him 14 years, three months and ten days to make his Test debut. Khan scored India a promising 62 off 66 deliveries against England on Friday. The clip of him receiving his team cap—and sharing that moment with his father—went viral. Hindustan Times has more on Khan's impressive innings against England. ESPN CricInfo explores his long journey to the national team.
Two: Fans of ‘Bridgerton’ rejoice! Here’s a sneak peek of the long-awaited third season of the hit series. It will focus on the third son of the Bridgerton family—Colin—and Penelope Featherington aka Lady Whistledown. Part one of the season drops on Netflix on May 16. (Variety)
